What is Real?
by Hikers123
Summary: The Night Howler Case was one of the greatest and widespread cases in Zootopian history. Being so, the heroes of the case, a Bunny and a Fox, were treated as royalty. But sometimes, things happen that will forever change its victim, causing some to ask themselves, "What is Real?"


The small blue ball had gone through the air and straight onto Nick's neck in a matter of milliseconds. Happening so fast, he was knocked to the ground, starting to shake from the pain..

" _This was only a blueberry, how could a blueberry hurt this much?"_ Nick thought to himself.

Trying to stay in character, Nick kept down, instead of giving into the pain - but there was only so much he could bear.

Twitching, he felt Judy's paws on his back. "Oh Nick!" she said, still in character.

Something suddenly changed, signalling to Nick that something was horribly wrong. The burning sensation on his neck wasn't just pain from the impact, it was somewhat chemical.

"Yes, police! There's a savage fox in the Natural History Museum..."

Nick clenched his paws, digging his claws into himself, trying to redirect the pain.

"Officer Hopps is down. Please hurry!" There was a long pitiful sigh from Bellwether. "Oh, just how stupid do you think I am?"

Judy didn't change her course, oblivious to what was happening. "No, Nick. Don't do this. Fight it."

Nick started pounding his right paw against the ground. The suffering rendered him speechless, to where he could not even scream in his agony.

There was a soft chuckle from the sheep-mayor. "Oh, but he can't help it. Can he? Since predators are just biologically predisposed to be savages." The chuckle, quickly rose from pity, to the laughter of a psychotic loon. "Oh, what would you like me to put on your grave Miss Hopps? A bundle of carrots, or a basket of blueberries?"

As the malignant words rolled off the snakelike tongue of the mayor, Judy's heart, as well as her eyes, were filled with fear. A wicked entertainment to the wicked ewe.

Nick, equally filled with horror, began to cough, somewhat allowing him to spit out a few mumbled words. "Get, a-away."

Bellwether laugh faded as quickly as it had rose."Think of the headline! 'Hero Cop Killed by Savage Fox.' Ahhh, just wait until the media finds out who this fox was. 'Breaking News! We now understand that the fox was a trusted friend of the deceased officer.' Such fun!"

Crying, Judy pleaded, "Nick! Please. Fight it!"

For Nick, time was moving slow, yet too fast. He could hear and comprehend everything that was said between the mayor and Carrots, but with ever detailed thought that passed through his head, the more he slipped away. He was fully aware of what was happening, but at the same time not. He couldn't tell if he was living in purgatory, or if he was thrown directly into the depths of hell.

Judy, unmoved from her position over Nick's tortured body, continued to plead, "Nick, please. I can't…"

Nick's mind filled with sudden clarity, as if it were his own mind. In a growl, he spoke his final words of reason and begging. "...I said, GET AWAY!"

Nick's body jolted upwards and threw itself into a instinctive hunting position. Simultaneously forcing Judy to back away.

Tears filled Judy's naturally violet eyes. Speaking in a whisper, "Nick," she gave a forced farewell to the fox she once knew.

The being that now possessed Nick's body quickly turned to the retreating bunny, baring it's teeth, and warning the grey creature of it's quickly approaching demise.

The thing, the Night Howler, that now controlled Nick, did not see the bunny as a creature -much less a friend- but as a target. A target that would make for a nice snack before going after the next thing that moved.

Judy cried as she tried to run with her injured leg, she ran, but despite how much she tried to get away, she knew that this was her end. This was where she would die. Predators would be prejudiced forever, if not worse, and she was to blame. She gave that sadistic sheep exactly what she needed to take this scheme to the next step. She, Judy, was the one who told the public that it was the predator's DNA. She, Officer Hopps, was the one who the city trusted to protect them, and she, Judith Hopps, let down almost all of them. Ruining the lives of every predator, and corrupting the innocence of the prey-generations to come. All the while the eyes of the true monster watched from above.

The other beast, the more prominent one ot the moment, carefully bent his hind legs, prepared to pounce. Without any warning to the grey fluff, he jumped, soaring over a great stretch of ground. Claws extended, jaw gaped wide, he aimed for the small neck of the creature... then landed on it.

A short scream escaped Judy's lungs as she was flipped onto her back by the red-furred savage; savage was the final word she could think of to describe him. Nick was a savage. In pain from her leg and the force now being placed on her chest, she could not breathe, only cry.

Nick was about to go for the kill when a weak kick shot into his rib. Barking a "Yip" in his own pain, he lept backwards. At this point, there was no more thought in his head recognisable by the old Nick - the real Nick. The savage purely ran off of instinct, with no recollection of his own life.

Judy struggling to crawl, had just used what ever strength she had left in her injured leg to kick Nick in the most vulnerable spot she could reach. She did not believe the she could do it again.

Nick seemed to take little to no time recovering from the blow, and was running straight at her once again. Thinking on her feet - figuratively - she grabbed what she could of a deer figurine and threw it at the nearing executioner, the figure colliding directly into the muzzle of the beast. It didn't do much. He clawed at the cloth, but quickly threw it to the side once only cotton started flowing out.

A few words echoed from above, "Bye-bye, bunny."

Judy, now against the wall of the exhibit, turned to see the dilated pupils of a fox's eyes less than a foot from her face. She began to throw her arms up towards her neck to protect it, but it was too late. The savage was no longer playing with it's food.

An ear-piercing scream radiated from the pit. Anyone who heard it would recognise it as the screech of death.

Judy's eyes widened, then slowly started to fall backwards as with the rest of her head. Leaving a visual treat behind for the cold-blooded mayor above.

Without a single twinge of regret, Bellwether locked eyes with Judy, giving a silent chuckle as she watched the vibrant violet of the young bunny's eyes dull.

Blood began to seep into the dirt surrounding Zootopia's first and only rabbit officer, as well as stain the already red fur around the mouth of the fox an even darker red...

* * *

Nick jolted up in his bed, scratching for a light.

This was neither the first nor the only time he had a dream like this, but this was the furthest that his memories of the Night Howler case had gone to torment him.

 **Thank you to all who read this chapter, despite how short it is. If you find any grammatical errors or any other of the type, please let me know so I am able to fix it.**

 **As always, Read and Review, PM me any suggestions you may have for this the story, and always read for your own enjoyment.**


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